the obsession with healing can set you back

there’s a strange paradox in our culture today: we celebrate healing like it’s this magical cure-all, this ultimate goal we should all be chasing. everywhere you look, people talk about “the healing journey,” self-care routines, emotional detoxes, manifestation, inner child work, shadow work, and so many more buzzwords that can make you feel like if you’re not actively healing right now, you’re falling behind.

and i get it- wanting to be better, to grow, to become healthier emotionally and mentally is such a powerful and beautiful impulse. but when does this beautiful impulse cross over into an obsession? when does healing stop being a source of comfort and start becoming a source of pressure?

because here’s the truth i’ve come to realise: the obsession with healing can actually set you back.

it’s a trap that so many of us fall into without even noticing. we start chasing this ideal version of ourselves, the one who is “healed,” whole, and free from pain or flaws, and in doing so, we overlook the most important part: accepting who we are right now.

the wellness world and self-help culture, while offering incredible tools, can sometimes unintentionally promote the idea that if you’re not constantly working on yourself, you’re failing. that if you’re not improving, growing, or “fixing” yourself, you’re stuck. this mindset can make us feel like our present selves are not good enough, not worthy, and that we must be in a near-constant state of discomfort to be “doing it right.”

this isn’t just theory. i see it everywhere, from friends who endlessly consume self-help books but never pause to really love themselves, to social media feeds flooded with perfect “before and after” transformation stories that make you wonder if your own journey isn’t dramatic enough to count. but the key piece often missing in this cycle is self-acceptance.

without acceptance, self-improvement becomes a treadmill where you’re running fast but going nowhere. you’re forever chasing “better” and never appreciating the “now.” it’s like you’re building a beautiful house but never pausing to live inside it and enjoy it.